Why In-App Feedback Matters More than You Think

To understand why in-app feedback is important to your customer service, consider this factor: An infamous 2015 Microsoft study found that the average modern human has about an eight-second attention span — down from twelve only a few years earlier, thanks to our increasingly digital lifestyle. (You now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish, Time cruelly noted at the time.) For brands trying to compete among all the digital noise, this is an alarming statistic. And it’s probably getting worse.

In addition to being easily distracted, customers today expect customer service to be inline, native and conversational. In that context, even push notifications are now passé if you’re trying to manage your customer relationship in a positive, proactive way. While there are still some positive use cases, push notifications can often be disruptive out of context, and only 40 to 59 percent of users subscribe to them in the first place — with only about 10 percent of those opening them.

If you want rapid responses, you have to act while you already have the attention of your customers, which is why in-app feedback is so important. In-app messaging, in general, happens in context, and has an 8x the response rate over push notifications. Here’s why it matters for gathering and managing feedback on your customer service efforts.

Stay ahead of negative reviews with in-app feedback

Customers genuinely want to have their issues resolved. They typically only resort to publicly shaming your brand when their frustration level peaks and they can’t reach a resolution. If you fail to grab attention on time or at all, you risk a PR ding: negative reviews on public forums like social media or the iTunes App Store.

Capture customer feedback in the moment, on the other hand, and you can re-direct unhappy customers to your support team instead of a potentially damaging review. Proactively capturing and handling customer feedback quickly can turn looming negative commentary and ratings into positive reports on your customer-service responsiveness.

Use in-app feedback to evolve your product more quickly

Since 46 percent of negative reviews contain “constructive criticism,” they often contain feedback that can help you directly improve your app. The ability to request feedback right within your app empowers you to more quickly incorporate that feedback into product evolution. That’s important, in a market where all types of businesses feel the pressure to iterate and improve their products at a rapid pace (especially in mobile gaming).

Harness in-app feedback to boost CSAT scores

Customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey scores are an important marker of your effectiveness as a brand. You may already be gathering quantitative customer service metrics such as number of issues resolved. In-app feedback allows you to gather qualitative reviews to balance your quantitative reviews. By combining these two numbers, you can more accurately measure agent effectiveness in working with customers. (Read more about how to enable in-app CSAT with Helpshift here.)

For instance, Helpshift prompts the user to rate the customer-support experience on a 5-point scale, with an opportunity for optional feedback. Using this technology, Microsoft Outlook’s in-app customer support has been able to maintain a 4+ CSAT rating and still keep the cost of each chat under $1, using Helpshift. (Download the Secrets to Success Playbookto read this full customer story.)

The transient attention span of consumers is a trend you can wrangle to your own advantage with in-app feedback mechanisms. Any brand that captures customer attention in the moment is at an advantage in today’s swift-moving business world.